an idea/concept, almost like a myth of the "Great American West"
imaginary place where there's opportunity, resources, challanges -- you have to make it yourself
frontier "line" moves from Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
place of fresh beginnings & bold undertakings
Development of the West through the buffalo, railroads, and the Chinese :
buffalo = economic basis for the Plains Indians (food, clothing, shoes, tepees, blankets, fuel, etc), which attracted trade with whites -- the whites eventuallty dominated them and settled more west
buffalo = symbol of process of whites coming and overpowering the natives
buffalo hunters worked for railroad companies
90% of workers on transcontinental railroad were Chinese - after railroad was done, many went to cities and formed "Chinatowns"
Chinese spoke different languages, different religions, more opportunities for work, and just different cultures in general - formed barrier with whites that led to racism
^ Chinese migrated significantly after the gold rush in CA -- very hardworking, advanced and willing to work for low wages; but whites were racist towards them due to jealousy (as seen with the Chinese Exclusion Act that lasted from 1882-1912)
"Coolies" = Chinese indentured servants treated like slaves
^ for every mile of track laid, the gov. sold land beside it at bargain prices in order to encourage settlement in the west -- it worked!
railroads = major transportation method for people, helped trade go on faster
gov. policy : Homestead Acts (& others) - very reduced rate land grants made to encourage settlement in west, economic growth, etc
pushing idea of everyone having American dream -- welfare capitalism (gov. intervention in economy)
12/15/10
Myth
Reality
the west was uninhabited
the west was already settled on by the natives & others -- it was very diverse
because Asians are small, theyre genetically suited for deep mines
only a justification since the Asians were so hardworking and the whites were jealous
because Asians were used to heat, they could withstand arduous working conditions
(same as above)
the "Great American Desert"
there was a period of great rainfall in 1870s
they were rugged individualists
relied heavily on federal gov. assistance
cowboys were powerful, enduring heroes -- ideal "natural man"
cowboys were low-paid workers
"frontier" = open land full of easy oppotunites
the west was bounded by the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean ; people had to work hard to take advantage of opportunities
"the myth of the garden"
the west wasn't perfect -- no utopia ; democracy wasn't THAT important
the "gold rush" made everyone rich
only a few people were able to "make it big"
everyone had an equal chance of opportunity in the west
Chinese = economic threat ; mainly only whites were able to prosper
American dream = everyone had their own land and were successful
only a few people became successful, not everyone
12/16/10
Ch.17 Industrial Supremacy (the 2nd Industrial Revolution)
laissez-faire ideas of Social Darwinism - opposed by radicals like Henry George : poverty created b/c of modern industry
rising wealthy class - made people resent monopoly even more
start of corporate research
growth of capitalism + its critics (esp. of Social Darwinism)
horizontal integration - same businesses came together to form corporations
vertical integration - when one big corporation took over all of the little companies
more and more labor unions & strikes
more women working in companies than ever before - had lowest wages
child labor
monopolies
each new ethnic class was treated worse than the class before it (like the Irish were actually higher-paid now compared to the Greeks)
work places : now centralized control
wages + working conditions reached low - higher skilled people would go make up their own companies (there were always opportunities to replace workers)
National Labor Union (w/ people that had little direct relationship to labor) ended after Panic of 1873
widespread unemployment + widespread middle-class resentment toward the labor unions
"Molly Maguires"
12/20/10
Connections to capitalism, social D, Gospel of Wealth, Inequality:
social darwinism allowed for competition in capitalism since it was survival of the fittest and everyone was looking out for themselves when it came to work, especailly tycoons like Rockefeller
gospel of wealth = softer version of social darwinism --> wealth comes with responsibility; helping poor people help themselves by creating more opportunities for people to be successful too -- making society better philanthropically
12/21/10 CH 18: The Age of the City
industrialism spread from northeast to northwest, and also in areas near the MI River, like Memphis and New Orleans
from 1900 to 1915, immigrants made up more than half of the US population (which increased greatly)
especially along industrial areas, immigrants made up the dominant group
nativism arose once again
1/5/11 CH.20 Preview:
Imperialism:
taking over the world
extending a nation's influence abroad
territorial aquisition - ex. US annexation of Hawaii
economic and/or political influence - ex. US exerted political influence in Venezuela
linked to Monroe Doctrine
Social Darwinism = justification -- survival of the fittest
expanding power internationally
new Manifest Destiny (doesn't apply to just US expanion in North America ; its outside of the continent)
extending power out of its original borders
colonization, annexation, protectorate, sphere of influence
industrialized nations exerting power and influence over underdeveloped nations
imperialism is the belief in or practice of ; an imperialist is one who believes in or practices
Motivations for Imperialism:
resources from land (like oil, gold, sugar cane, etc)
cheap labor
military bases (like Pearl Harbor) -- strategic locations
trade
spread of Christianity + democracy
assimilation
pride
military allies
new markets + customers
environmental conservation
Examples of American Imperialism:
Hawaii - resouces and location
Philippines - military base
Guam - military base and resources
Cuba - military base and trade
Venezuela - political influence
Puerto Rico - military base, resources, markets, trade
Liberia - shipping
Iraq War - resources
Panama - Panama Canal
Samoa - military base
Virgin Islands -
Northern Mariana Islands -
Guano Islands - resources
Thesis of US History, 1781-1915:
From 1781 to 1915, economic factors pushed the United States to develop its own unique identity as a modern nation. This occurred though the growth of industrialization, but more specifically through the need for a cheap labor force,
Partner's Thesis: Basically throughout the time perioid (from 1781 to 1915) the US had been focused in developing its own national identity and solving its own internal problems (becoming more stable i.e. eliminating slavery and establishing state's rights/national oversight) before going out into the world and meddling in other's. The only exception would be the Spanish American war in which initially it was humanitation but turned into a conquering army.
Group Thesis: From 1781 to 1915, the persence of the United States flourished as iit expanded its borders and grew into being a high world power.
Mr.Max's Theories:
From 1781 to 1915, the United States experienced periods of debate and division, as well as progress and unity, as the country developed its own identity, expanded its territory, argued over interpretations of the Constitution and the slavery issue, industrialized ... etc.
From 1781 to 1915, the United States grew and developed into a modern industrial world power in which rich, white males of European descent consistently dominated and subjugated women, African and Native Americans, the working class, and, eventually, the residents of other nations.
What is the Frontier?
Development of the West through the buffalo, railroads, and the Chinese :
^ Chinese migrated significantly after the gold rush in CA -- very hardworking, advanced and willing to work for low wages; but whites were racist towards them due to jealousy (as seen with the Chinese Exclusion Act that lasted from 1882-1912)
^ for every mile of track laid, the gov. sold land beside it at bargain prices in order to encourage settlement in the west -- it worked!
12/15/10
12/16/10
Ch.17 Industrial Supremacy (the 2nd Industrial Revolution)
12/20/10
Connections to capitalism, social D, Gospel of Wealth, Inequality:
12/21/10
CH 18: The Age of the City
1/5/11
CH.20 Preview:
Imperialism:
Motivations for Imperialism:
- resources from land (like oil, gold, sugar cane, etc)
- cheap labor
- military bases (like Pearl Harbor) -- strategic locations
- trade
- spread of Christianity + democracy
- assimilation
- pride
- military allies
- new markets + customers
- environmental conservation
Examples of American Imperialism:Thesis of US History, 1781-1915:
From 1781 to 1915, economic factors pushed the United States to develop its own unique identity as a modern nation. This occurred though the growth of industrialization, but more specifically through the need for a cheap labor force,
Partner's Thesis: Basically throughout the time perioid (from 1781 to 1915) the US had been focused in developing its own national identity and solving its own internal problems (becoming more stable i.e. eliminating slavery and establishing state's rights/national oversight) before going out into the world and meddling in other's. The only exception would be the Spanish American war in which initially it was humanitation but turned into a conquering army.
Group Thesis: From 1781 to 1915, the persence of the United States flourished as iit expanded its borders and grew into being a high world power.
Mr.Max's Theories:
From 1781 to 1915, the United States experienced periods of debate and division, as well as progress and unity, as the country developed its own identity, expanded its territory, argued over interpretations of the Constitution and the slavery issue, industrialized ... etc.
From 1781 to 1915, the United States grew and developed into a modern industrial world power in which rich, white males of European descent consistently dominated and subjugated women, African and Native Americans, the working class, and, eventually, the residents of other nations.